Environmental peacebuilding

Competition over the environment and natural resources is frequently a contributing factor to violent conflicts. Although these factors are rarely the only cause of violent conflict, environmental over-use and the exploitation of natural resources can not only increase the severity and duration of conflict, but also make its resolution much more difficult.

If direct access to limited natural resources such as land, forest, water and wildlife is dominated by one specific individual or group, it can lead to outbreaks of violent conflict. In this way, the marginalisation or exclusion of certain groups from these resources ensures that they then become easy targets for political manipulation.

Armed conflicts leave behind a toxic footprint, as certain military materials and practices have the potential to cause environmental damage, with the potential to affect civilian health and interfere with post-conflict recovery. Until now, little attention has been focused on toxic materials released during military activities – in the form of certain chemical constituents of munitions, or indirectly as a result of the bombardment of industrial and civilian infrastructure – that form a hazard to humans and ecosystems.